Sugar-cane cultivator



(No ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. WIARD.

SUGAR CANE OULTIVATOR. No. 327,683. Patented Oct. 6, 1885.

N. Perms, Prwwumn n im, wnniu mn. an.

(No Model) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. WIARD.

SUGAR CANE GULTIVATOR.

Patented Oct. 6, 1885.

N. PETERS, PhawLHhugnpher, Washington, a. c.

4 Sheets-Sne et 4.

(N0 ModeL) E. WIARD.

SUGAR CANE GULTIVATOR.

No. 327,633 Patented Oct. 6, 1885.

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74 2172 asses N PETIZRS. PhnlmLRhngraphur. Wahm xcn, D. u

NlTFD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDXVARD \VIARD, OF. LITGHFIELD, MINNESOTA.

SUGAR-CANE CULTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,633, dated October6,1885.

Application filed July 1, 1885. Serial No. 170,337. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD WIARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Litchfield, in the county of Meeker and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sugar-0aneCultivators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My improved cultivator comprises several novel features of constructionand combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described andspecifically claimed, and it is designed for use as follows: After themother cane is laid longitudinally, in the form of fish-poles closetogether, so as to fill a ditch, say, eight inches deep and from twelveto fifteen inches wide, (this operation being performed once in aboutevery four years,) it becomes necessary in early spring to cultivate it.This has heretofore usually been done with an ordinary large plowcutting three furrows on each side, leaving a ridge from fourteen totwenty inches in height, thereby allowing the heat of the sun to readilypenetrate the mother cane and start the sprouts at the sides of theridges. It has not been deemed desirable to disturb the center orimmediate covering soil of the mother cane, if the soil on each side canbe removed to a sufficient depth to accomplish the starting of growth ofsaid cane. The next operation has been to shave off from two to fourinches of the sour cane anddeposit it in the bottom of the two furrowson opposite sides of the ridge.

My cultivator is designed to perform at once the whole operation ofcultivating-viz., formation of the side furrows about the mother caneand shaving off the sour cane.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is atop view of my sugar-cane cultivator. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the adjustable plow-beams and theirhorizontal adjusting means. Fig. 4 is an end view of the cultivator.Fig. 5 is a detail view of the vertical guide of the plow-beams and ahorizontal section of the guide-yoke and of the fifth-wheel yoke. Fig. 6is a detail view of the guide-plates of the horizontal adjusting meansof the plow-beams, the upright guide-yoke beingin horizontal section.Fig. 7 is a diagram showing specially the vertical adjusting means ofthe plow-beams. Fig. 8 is a vertical central section through thevertical guide-yoke of the plow-beams and through the fifth-wheel yoke,and also other parts. Fig. 9 is a dia gram of the two plows with theirfurrow-cutters and a landside-cutter. Fig. 10 is a diagram of theautomatic plow-raising mechanism. Fig. 11 is a section of thedraft-plate and clevis.

The letter A in the drawings represents the main frame of thecultivator; B B, the front wheels; B B, the rear wheels; 0, the adjustable plow-frame, and D the plows.

The main frame A consists of two parallel beams, a, having the rearaxle, b, fastened between them and rising to a suitable height at a nearthe rear wheels, where they are coupled and steadied by means of atransverse brace, ed. The front ends of said plow-beams a are secured toa horizontal bearing-plate, a which rests upon a fifth-wheel plate, 0,of a swinging oblong vertical yoke, E. This yoke E consists of a verystout upper arch, c, to which the plate 6 and the axles b of the frontwheels, B, are fastened, and a lower inverted arch, e, of lighterconstruction, which is fastened to the upper arch by means of screws (2and the screw-threaded ends of the axles 1).

Inside the yoke E an oblong yoke, F, is

hung by means of vertical central or kingbolts 6. The said yokeF is heldin a vertical position and prevented from swinging with the yoke E bymeans of braces f fastened by bolts 6 and e to the lower portion of theyoke and the beams a, as shown. The vertical side portions, f of theyoke F serve as guides for the angular channeled end portions, f of ahorizontal cross-plate, f, which end portions are so fitted to the sideportions, f as to easily slide up and down thereon. The plate f 4 restsupon two yoke-plates, f fitted to the beams c of the plow-frame C, sothat they may slide thereon. These plates f 5 areeach provided with astead y-pin, f and a headed bolt, f, which are inserted into two slots,f in the plate f. By this construction the frontportions of theplow-beams, after being laterally adjusted,as will be seen, can becentrally fastened to the plate f by means of the bolts f and are thusheld in central position laterally to the main frame A while being movedup and down for the purpose of vertical adjustment hereinafterdescribed.

To an extension, 6 of the fifth-wheel plate e the tongue E is suitablyfastened.

The forward ends of the plow-beams c are coupled by means of twoparallel metal draft plates, G, and bolts 9. This attachment may bestrengthened by the addition of strap-plates g, the front portions ofwhich are screwed by the bolts 9 upon the plate G, and the rear portionsto the beams c by means of bolts 9 Each plate G is provided with acurved slot, g the two slots being the one directly over the other, andconcentric with the king-bolts t, and having each a central notch, g. Avertical roller, 9 is hung by means of a draftbolt, 9", and twocoupling-armsg, ofa clevis, 9 in said curved slots. Under ordinarycircumstances, while the cultivator is moved in a straight or nearlystraight line the roller 9 will be in the notches but when the plow isto beturned at an angle the oblique pull ofthe horses will cause theroller to leave the notches g and assume such position in the curvedslots that the direction of draft will form a right angle with thecorresponding curvature of the slots, and thus the clevis will always bekept in line with the tongue of the cultivator. The plates G areprovided with several bolt-holes, 9 in order to accomodate the plates tothe lateral adjustment of the plow-beams, as will be seen.

The clevis 9* is provided with a vertical row of holes,g ,in order toenable, the teamster to attach the draft-hook to the plow at a suitableelevation.

The plow-frame 0 consists, as above stated, of two parallel plow-beams,c, with forked rear ends, 0, through which the rear axle, 1), passes,and between which the hubs b of said forked ends 0 and the hubs b of therear' wheels,B, are confined, so that the wheels and the plow-beamsshall be laterally adjusted together. The lateral adjustments areeffected by the aid of shears or diagonal plates H, having a centralfulcrum, h, and being pivoted at their forward ends to the plow beams bymeans of pivot-bolts If. The rear ends of these shear-plates areprovided with headed pins h which move in slots h of longitudinalguide-plates k bolted suitably to the plowbeams. By this constructionthe plow-beams and rear wheels are kept parallel with each other,whatever their lateral adjustment may be.

In order to secure the rear portion of the plow-frame and the rearwheels in their central position with the main frame A,adjustablecollars 0 having set-screws 0 are fastened to the axle b to the rightand left of each fork 0, immediately after each lateral adjustment ofthe plow-frame.

Two corresponding plows, D, are, by means of suitable standards, t,fastened to the plowbeams c, and their mold-boards i rise right and leftfrom the plow-beams and discharge outwardly. In front of each landsidean inclined cutter, i is placed and suitably fastened to thecorresponding plowbeam, c, and at a suitable distance from the landsideeach mold-board is provided with an inclined cutter, i and thus trencheswith smooth sides can be made with my plows, which with the old methodwas not possible. The heels i of the plows are set nearer together thanthe points in order to prevent the plowed sidesj of the central ridge,J, from losing their consistency and breaking away during the cuttingoff of old sprouts and roots by the out ters i". The rear wheels, B B,running in the trenches made by the pl0ws,are held away from the sidesof the central ridge, and are thereby prevented from rubbing againstthem and breaking. their continuity.

The front portion of the plow-frame G is supported by the main frameabove by means of atoggle-joint, K. This toggle-joint consists of twotransverse shafts, 7c is, and two pairs of levers, it k' k k The shaftis is suitably hung to the main frame A, and the levers k k are fastenedto the said shaft at equal distances from the sides of the main frame A.The lower shaft, k, rests in cylindrical bearings k, suitably fastenedto the plowbeams 0, one of which bearings is provided with a set-screw,70 which is screwed down upon the shaft 70, and thusholds the shaft toits relative beam 0. The shaft 70 is loosely held in theotherbearing It,so it may slide therein when the plow-frame is adjusted to a greater orless width. On the shaft 70 a sleeve, 76, is loosely fitted,which'sleeve is' provided with the levers k If, which latter are joinedto the levers k k" by means of pins or screw-pivots Id. The shaft k isalso provided with a doublearmed lever, 70*, which is connected by meansof two parallel connecting-rods, H, with a hand-lever, L, having itsfulcrum at Z on the main frame A. By connecting the levers k and L inthe described manner either the upper connecting-rod, Z, or the lowerone, Z, operates by pulling, and neither of them operates by pushing,and I am therefore enabled to use very light connectingrods withoutdanger of bending them.

A notched are, L, is attached-to the main frame concentrically with thefulcrum Z of the lever L. The hand-lever L is provided with an ordinaryspring-bolt, Z having a tooth, Z, which enters the notches Z of the arc.Below the transverse handle Z of the hand-lever L another handle, I, ofthe spring-bolt l is placed, whereby the spring-bolt is disconnectedfrom the notches of the are L when the position of the hand-lever Lis tobe changed. For this purpose the handle Z is moved upagainst the tensionof the bolt spring Z whereby the tooth Z is removed from the notch Z itoccupied and the hand-lever is free to be turned as required. Byreleasing the ham dle l the hand-lever becomes again locked with the areL. In Fig. 7 the two extreme N at a.

positions of the hand-lever and the therefrom resulting positions of theplow-frame are represented, one of the plows being shown in its highestposition by dotted lines, while the other position of the plow is notdeemed necessary to be shown in this view.

A connecting rod, m, connects the lower end of the lever 70 with an arm,m, of an elevating mechanism, M, on one end of the rear axle, b. The armis made to swing on the axle b when it is locked with the wheel 13. Forthis latter purpose the wheel 13 is provided with a ratchet-wheel, m",and the arm in with apawl, mithe latter being connected by means of aconnecting-rod, m, with a bell-crank lever, m which has its fulcrum at mon the hand-lever L. A rod, in, connects the bellcrank lever m with itsoperating handle-lever This lever N has a fulcrum-pin, n, fastened tothe hand-lever L, and it extends to the other side of the hand-lever Land ten minates with an eye, a through which a rod, n passes, which hasa head, a, above said eye, and an eye, 15, at its lower termination. Apin, a, is passed through the eye a and a slot, Z, in the hand-leverL,and is fastened to the spring-bolt Z When the handle-lever N isdepressed, the rod it pulls up the spring-bolt and disconnects thehand-lever L from the are L, and at the same time the rod m is moveddown,whe1'eby the bell-crank lever m is caused to move theconnecting-rod in backward and swing the pawl m within the range of theratchet-whecl m While the cultivator is going ahead one of the teeth ofthe ratchet wheel m engages the pawl m and moves it along, whereby thearm in is swung in a forward direction and the connecting-rod m is movedforward, and thus the levers 70 and L are swung backward. A notch, Z, isprovided in the are, by which the hand-lever is finally locked when theplows are at their proper elevation above the ground for transportingfrom place to place; and in order to prevent the ratchet-wheel frommoving the pawl in too far ahead,and thereby injuring the plow-elevatingmechanism, a cam, O, is attached to the frame A closely to the arm m,upon which the extended end m of the pawl slides, and by which the pawlis moved out of range of the ratchet-wheel as soon as the hand-lever Lhas arrived opposite the notch Z".

A spring, 0, fastened with one end to a pin, 0, on the arm m, holds thepawl in out of range of the ratchet-wheel m when not operated by thelever N. The same effect for lifting the plows would be gained by movingup the handle Z, and then swinging the lever L back by hand; but thisrequires more power than an ordinary man can well develop, owing to thegreat weight that has to be lifted, and therefore the assistance of mymechanism is desirable.

The mainframe brace a is, at its center, provided with two parallelplates, P, having angular flanges p,by which the plates are bolted tothe brace. The ends of these plates are provided with vertical rows ofholes p,for the purpose of inserting two bolts, p 19, and therebyfastening the front portion of a surfaceshaving attachment, Q, betweensaid plates. This shaving attachment Q consists of acurved beam, q, thefront portion of which is fastened between the plates P, and the rearportion of which is forked, and provided with two i11- clined cutters, qq arranged at an angle corresponding with, say, the letter V, having itsapex rearward. The cutter q is longer than the cutter Q2, and its rearend extends to the rear side of cutter and also stands off a suitabledistance from the same, in order to allow stumps which are firmlyconnected with the mother cane belowand not decayed enough to be shavedoff without great resistance, to pass through the opening q at the apexwithout harm, thus avoiding the tearing up of the mother cane by reasonof catching such stumps wit-h a closed euttingapex, but at the same timecausing the continued cutting portion behind the apex to lay such stumpssulficiently over, so as to effect an easy cut in an inclined directionto the axis of the stump.

The front portion of the beam q is provided with suitable holes, throughwhich the coupling'bolts q (f in the plates P are passed after thedesired elevation of the cutters has been effected, and thecorresponding holes, 12, in the plates P for the suitable fastening ofthe beam 9 have been found.

Behind the shaving-cutters a scraper, R, is attached to the beam g. Thisscraper consists of two vertical or nearly vertical boards, 1*, or metalsheets united at the front, so as to form an angle, and fastened to abeam, 1-, which is loosely bolted to the beam at 1- and which isprovided with a slot, r", concentric to the bolt 0. A pin or suitablebolt, q", on the beam q passes into said slot 1*, and thus limits theplay of the beam 1' around the fulcrum a. By means of this allowance ofplay the scraper will bear with no more than its own weight upon theshaved surface of the central ridge, which weight is sufficient to keepthe scraper down, in order to do its work effectively; but when anyunevenness ofthe shaved surface has to be passed the scraper will yieldto the same without being caught or interrupted in its work.

In front of the are L a transverse brace, a, connects the beams a of themain frame, and to this brace the drivers seat S is suitably attached.

Vhen the cane-cultivator is moved to or from the sugar-cane field, thehand-lever L is held by the notch l" of the are L, and the plows areheld sufficiently high over theground or road, and, having arrived atthe field, the surface-shaving attachment Q is adjusted to the requiredelevation, the bolts f and setserews c are loosened, and the bolts gremoved from the draft-plates. The plow-beams c are now laterally adusted to the width of the intended center ridge by hand. Thedraft-plates IIO G are then centrally arranged upon the plow- I beams,and then refastened by the bolts g. The boltsf are drawn tight again.The collars c are moved against the forks cand fastened by screwing theset-screws 0 upon the shaft 1). The lateral adjustment now beingaccomplished the driver mounts the seat S and drives the horses into thefurrows between the cane ridges, and as the front wheels enter thefurrows he unlocks the hand-lever L and moves it forward until he findsthat the plows make a sufficiently deep trench, when he locksit in oneof the notches Z in the are L. Every time a ridge is cultivated theplows are raised up by means of the elevating mechanism M, abovedescribed, and the cultivator .is turned around,and the next ridge iscultivated, as aforesaid, until the field is finished. plows I throw thedetached soil and cane into the furrows right and left, but not quite tothe centers of the same, so that at the returntrip of the cultivator oneof its front wheels does not become unduly elevated over the other-byreason of running in a partially-filled up furrow. The scrapings of thesurfaceshaver are thrown right and left into the freshly plowedtrenches, at the bottom of which they remain. The surface-shavingattachment Q, remains 011 the frame A of the cultivator only during theoperation of cultivating, and may be detached when the cultivator isbeing transported from the field.

WVhat I claim as my invention is l. The combination, with the tongue E,connected to a yoke, E, which turns on thekingbolt 6, of the plow-beamsc c, c nnected at their front ends by coupling draft-plates G, in whichare curved slots 9, concentric with the king bolt, and notches 9 aboutcentrally of their length, and an automatic laterally-moving clevis, gcomprising coupling arm 9 and a draft-bolt, g, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

2. In a cane-cultivator, the combination of a main frame, A, supportedby wheels B B on a rigid rear axle, b, and a swinging front axle-yoke,E, with a vertically and horizontally adjustable plow-frame, G, swingingvertically upon the rear axle and having the clevis applied to it,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The laterally-expansible plow-frame 0, having shear-plates H, with acommon fulcrum, 71, end fulcrums, h on the plow-beams c, sliding endpins, h and slotted guide-plates h secured to the plow-beams,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

The

4,. The combination, with the wheeled main frame A, and the plow-frameO, and suitable connections, of the hand-lever L, elevatinglever ktoggle-joint K, and parallel connecting-rodsl Z, arranged on both sidesof the fulcrums of said levers, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

5. The combination of the rear axle, 6', fastened by its ends rigidly tothe main frame A, the laterally and centrally adjustable forkedplow-frame 0, having forked ends a, and adjustable plates G, rearwheels, B, and collars 0', having set-screws 0 substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with the main or supporting frame A, mounted on fourwheels, of

the plow frame 0, carrying. right and left plows D, and shaver Q, havingknives (1 separated to form relief-passage and the scraper R,substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In a sugarcane cultivator havinga supporting wheeled frame, A, thecombination, with the shaver Q and scraper'R, of two correspondingcentrally and laterally adjustable plows, DD, having rightand leftmold-boards and furrow side cutters, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

8. The combination of the wheeled frameA, plow-frame G, toggle-jointelevating mechan ism K, levers L k notched are L, and connecting-rods ZZ, for raising and lowering the plow-frame by hand, substantially asdescribed.

9. The combination of thewheeled frameA, plow-frame G, levers L kconnecting-rodsl l m m; m handle N, and elevating mechanism M,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination of the main frame A, mounted on four wheels, theplow frame 0, carrying two corresponding right and left handed plows,and provided with yoke Fand braces f, and the horizontally-turning yokeE, havingtongue E attached to it, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

11. The right and left plows D D, applied upon the plow frame 0 and mainframe A, and provided with landsides which converge toward each other asthey extend backward, and with cutters i substantially as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD WIARD.

WVitnesses:

S. A. PLUMLEY, S. A. SOARP.

